Tigran Petrosian 1929 - 1984 9th World Champion, 1963 - 1969 Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was born in 1929 in Tbilisi, Georgia of Armenian parents. His parents died before he was 16 and he found consolation in chess. He was greatly influenced by Nimzovitch's theories and his play was deeply prophylactic, preventing any plans his opponents might come up with. He enjoyed slowly improving the position of his pieces and closed positions where he could quietly fight for the control of key squares. His style of play made his games less accessible to anyone other than masters and this made him one of the least popular of the World Champions. He defeated Mikhail Botvinnik in 1963 to become World Champion and lost his title to Boris Spassky in 1969. Tigran Petrosian vs.

Boris Spassky World Championship match (game 10) Moscow 1966 1963 - 1969 Petrosian - Carolus Chess 1963 - 1969 Petrosian Tigran Petrosian (June 17, 1929 – August 13, 1984) was World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He is often known by the Russian version of his name, Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian (Russian: Тигран Вартанович Петросян). He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else.

He was a Candidate for the World Championship on eight occasions (1953, 1956, 1959, 1962, 1971, 1974, 1977 and 1980), won the world championship in 1963 (against Botvinnik) and 1966 (against Spassky), thus he was the defending World Champion or a World Champion candidate in ten consecutive three-year cycles. He won the Soviet Championship four times (1959, 1961, 1969, and 1975). He was arguably the hardest player to beat in the history of chess. Early years A Soviet Armenian, Petrosian was born in the city of Tbilisi, Georgia, Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, USSR and spent most of his childhood there. He learned the game of chess at the age of eight, after entering a local chess school at the Tbilisi Pioneer's Palace (currently known as Tbilisi Children's Palace). Petrosian's first coach was Archil Ebralidze.

Petrosian's first important result was a shared 1st-3rd place at the 4th USSR Junior Championship, Leningrad 1945, with 11/15; he tied with Y. Vasilchuk and A. Reshko. In the 6th Armenian Championship, Yerevan 1946, Petrosian won the title with 9/10. But that same year at Leningrad for the Candidates to Masters event, he could only make 6.5/15 for a shared 8th-11th place. In the 7th Georgian Championship, Tbilisi 1946, Petrosian scored 12.5/19, and was second among Georgians; the winner Paul Keres (18/19) played hors concours ("far ahead of the competition"), and conceded just two draws, one of them to Petrosian. He failed badly at the USSR Championship semi-final, Tbilisi 1946, with just 6/17, for a shared 16th-17th place.

Petrosian claimed the title in the 5th USSR Junior Championship, Leningrad 1946, with an unbeaten 14/15. In the 1947 Armenian Championship, Petrosian shared 2nd-4th places, with 8.5/11, behind Igor Bondarevsky, who played hors concours. In the 1948 Championship of Caucasian Republics, Petrosian placed 2nd with 9/12, behind winner Vladimir Makogonov. In the 8th Armenian Championship of 1948, Petrosian shared the title on 12.5/13 with Genrikh Kasparian. Moves to Moscow, Grandmaster A significant step for Petrosian was moving to Moscow in 1949, where he began to play and win many tournaments. Moscow, along with Leningrad and Kiev, were the three major Soviet chess cities. He won the 1951 tournament in Moscow, and began to show steady progress. By 1952 Petrosian became a Soviet and international Grandmaster in chess.

Prior to taking up chess full time though, Petrosian was a caretaker and a road sweeper. In 1952, he married Rona Yakovlevna Avinezar, a translator who was active in chess circles. World title Candidate His results in the triennial Candidates Tournament, held to determine the challenger to the world champion, showed a steady improvement: fifth at Zürich in 1953, equal third at Amsterdam in 1956, third in Yugoslavia in 1959. World Champion In the 1963 World Championship cycle, he won the Candidates tournament at Curaçao in 1962, then in 1963 he defeated Mikhail Botvinnik 12.5–9.5 to become World Chess Champion. His patient, defensive style frustrated Botvinnik, who only needed to make one risky move for Petrosian to punish him. Petrosian is the only player to go through the Interzonal and the Candidates process undefeated on the way to the world championship match.

Petrosian shared first place with Paul Keres at the Piatigorsky Cup, Los Angeles 1963, his first tournament after winning the championship. Petrosian defended his title in 1966, defeating Boris Spassky 12.5–11.5, the first World Champion to win a title match while champion since Alekhine beat Bogoljubov in 1934. In 1968, he was granted a PhD from Yerevan State University for his thesis, "Chess Logic". In 1969 Spassky got his revenge, winning by 12.5–10.5 and taking the title. He was the only player to win a game against Bobby Fischer during the latter's 1971 Candidates matches, finally bringing an end to Fischer's amazing streak of twenty consecutive wins (seven to finish the 1970 Palma de Mallorca Interzonal, six against Taimanov, six against Larsen, and the first game in their match). Nevertheless Petrosian lost the match.

Stars for Soviet Union Petrosian was not selected for the Soviet Olympiad side until 1958; he had already been a Candidate twice by that time. But he then made ten straight Soviet Olympiad teams from 1958 to 1978, won nine team gold medals, one team silver medal, and six board gold medals. His totals in Olympiad play, according to olimpbase.org, are (+78 =50 −1), for 79.8 per cent. His Olympiad results follow.

Munich 1958, 2nd reserve, 10.5/13 (+8 =5 −0), board and team gold medals; Leipzig 1960, 2nd reserve, 12/13 (+11 =2 −0), board and team gold medals; Varna 1962, board 2, 10/12 (+8 =4 −0), board and team gold medals; Tel Aviv 1964, board 1, 9.5/13 (+6 =7 −0), team gold medal; Havana 1966, board 1, 11.5/13 (+10 =3 −0), board and team gold medals; Lugano 1968, board 1, 10.5/12 (+9 =3 −0), board and team gold medals; Siegen 1970, board 2, 10/14 (+6 =8 −0), team gold medal; Skopje 1972, board 1, 10.5/16 (+6 =9 −1), team gold medal; Nice

 1974, board 4, 12.5/14 (+11 =3 −0), board and team gold medals; Buenos Aires 1978, board 2, 6/9 (+3 =6 −0), team silver medal.

Petrosian also made the Soviet side for every European Team Championship held while he was alive, a total of eight selections, from 1957 to 1983. He won eight team gold medals, and four board gold medals. His totals in Euroteams play, according to olimpbase.org, are (+15 =37 −0), for 64.4 per cent. His Euroteams results follow.

Vienna 1957, board 6, 4/5 (+3 =2 −0), board and team gold medals; Oberhausen 1961, board 4, 6/8 (+4 =4 −0), board and team gold medals; Hamburg 1965, board 1, 6/10 (+2 =8 −0), board and team gold medals; Kapfenberg 1970, board 1, 3.5/6 (+1 =5 −0), team gold medal; Bath, Somerset 1973, board 2, 4.5/7 (+2 =5 −0), board and team gold medals; Moscow 1977, board 2, 3.5/6 (+1 =5 −0), team gold medal; Skara 1980, board 3, 2.5/5 (+0 =5 −0), team gold medal; Plovdiv 1983, board 3 3.5/5 (+2 =3 −0), team gold medal.

Later career Along with a number of other Soviet Chess champions, he signed a petition condemning the actions of the defector Viktor Korchnoi in 1976. It was the continuation of a bitter feud between the two, dating back at least to their 1974 Candidates semi-final match which Petrosian withdrew from after five games while trailing 3.5-1.5 (+3−1=1). His match with Korchnoi in 1977 saw the two former colleagues refuse to shake hands or speak to each other. They even demanded separate eating and toilet facilities. Petrosian went on to lose the match and was subsequently fired as editor of Russia's largest chess magazine, 64. His detractors condemned his reluctance to attack and some put it down to a lack of courage. At this point however, Botvinnik spoke out on his behalf, stating that he only attacked when he felt secure and his greatest strength was in defence.

Some of his late successes included victories at Lone Pine 1976 and in the 1979 Paul Keres Memorial tournament in Tallinn (12/16 without a loss, ahead of Tal, Bronstein and others), shared first place (with Portisch and Huebner) in the Rio de Janeiro Interzonal the same year, and second place in Tilburg in 1981, half a point behind the winner Beliavsky. It was here that he played his last famous victory, a miraculous escape against the young Garry Kasparov. Petrosian died of stomach cancer in 1984 in Moscow. Petrosian is buried in Vagankovo Cemetery and in 1987 13th World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov unveiled a memorial in the cemetery at Petrosian's grave which depicts the laurel wreath of world champion and an image contained within a crown of the sun shining above the twin peaks of Mount Ararat - the national symbol of Petrosian's native Armenia. Chess legacy He has two major opening systems named after him: the Petrosian variation of the King's Indian defence (1. d4 Nf6 2.

c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. d5) and the Petrosian system in the Queen's Indian Defence (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3). He is most famous for being one of the best players pioneering the theory of prophylaxis, years after Aron Nimzowitsch. His style of play was often highly strategical, notable for anticipating opponent's possible attacks, and he based many of his games on avoidance of error, content with accumulating small advantages. His games are now widely used for instruction in chess schools around the world. He was also the chief editor of the chess magazine, "Shakhmatnaya Moskva" ("The Chess Moscow") from 1963–66.

Petrosian Tigran Petrosian - the Iron Man - Chess.com Tigran Petrosian - the Iron Man May 26, 2008, 12:00 AM 11,736 Reads 22 Comments Chess Players Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian (1929-1984) was a Soviet Grandmaster (1952) and 9th world chess champion (1963-1969). He was Armenian champion at the age of 17. In 1964, he won the championship of the Trade Unions in Moscow. Between 1968 and 1975 he never lost more than a single game in any tournament. He drew more than half his total games of chess, a higher fraction than any other World Champion. He was known as Iron Tigran due to his safe playing style and strong defense. He was considered the hardest player in the history of chess to beat. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship eight times from 1953 to 1980.

In 1963, he defeated Mikhail Botvinnik for the world championship. In 1966, he defeated Boris Spassky for the world championship. He received less than $2,000 for winning the world chess championship in 1966 against Spassky. When Petrosian defeated Spassky in 1966, it was the first time a World Champion defeated his challenger in 32 years (Alekhine defeated Bogoljubov in 1934). In 1972 at the Skopje Olympiad he lost a game on time to Huebner, his first loss on time in his whole career. When he was later told that the incident had been shown on TV, he said, "If I had known that, I would definitely have smashed the clock." His first official match that he played was for the World Championship, which he won when he defeated Botvinnik in 1963. When he lost his match with Fischer in 1971, Petrosian's wife, Rona, put the blame on his trainer, Alexey Suetin, and slapped him.

Petrosian was unbeaten in 6 USSR championships and won the Soviet Championship four times (1959, 1961, 1969, and 1975). He only lost one game out of 129 in chess Olympiad play. Before Rona married Petrosian, she was flirting and dating both Efim Geller and Tigran Petrosian. In 1952, when both players went to Sweden for the Interzonal, she said she would marry whoever performed better in the Interzonal. Petrosian finished ½ point better than Geller, and Petrosian and Rona Avinezer were later married. Petrosian died of stomach cancer in 1984 at the age of 55. Here is a nice game of his where he throws everything at the enemy king, threatening mate a few times. His opponent finally resigns after the option of getting checkmated or losing the queen.

Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian TIGRAN VARTANOVICH PETROSIAN Born 17.6.1929 Tbilisi, Georgia Died 13.8.1984 Moscow, USSR Tigran Petrosian was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Soviet Union on June 17, 1929 and learned the game of chess from his parents when he was 8 years old. He won a few junior events and local tournaments in Tbilisi. His parents died when he was 16. In 1946 he went on his own to live in Ereven, Armenia. That year he won the Armenian championship. He repeated winning the Armenian championship in 1948. In 1949 Petrosian moved to Moscow and began winning more tournaments. In 1951 he won the Moscow championship. In the 1951 USSR championship he took second place, behind Paul Keres. At the Saltsjobaden interzonal in 1952, Petrosian took second place, behind Alexander Kotov, with 7 wins and 13 draws.

In 1953 Petrosian took 5th place in the powerful Neuhausen-Zurich Candidates tournament with 6 wins, 18 draws, and 4 loses. At the next interzonal, Gothenburg 1955, he came in fourth place with 5 wins and 15 draws. In 1956 he shared third place in the Amsterdam Candidates tournament with 3 wins, 13 draws, and 2 losses. That year he also won the Moscow championship. Petrosian shared 3rd place at the 1958 Portoroz interzonal and came 3rd in the following Candidates tournament. He took 2nd place in the 1958 USSR championship, behind Mikhail Tal. In 1959 Petrosian won the USSR championship with 8 wins and 11 draws. In 1960 he took second in the USSR championship, behind Victor Korchnoi with 10 wins, 7 draws, and 2 losses. In February, 1961 Petrosian won the 28th USSR championship in Moscow with 9 wins, 9 draws, and 1 loss.

At the Stockholm interzonal in 1962 Petrosian shared second place with 8 wins and 14 draws. He then took first place at the 1962 Curacao Candidates tournament (Fischer took 4th) to become the challenger for the world chess championship. In 1963 Petrosian challenged Mikhail Botvinnik for the world championship and won with 5 wins, 15 draws, and 2 losses. From 1963 to 1966, Petrosian was the chief editor of the monthly Soviet chess magazine, SHAKHMATNAYA MOSKVA. Petrosian tied for first place at the First Piatigorsky Cup in Los Angeles in 1963 with Paul Keres. He scored 4 wins, 9 draws, and 1 loss. In 1964 Petrosian tied with Paul Keres at Buenos Aires, scoring 8 wins and 9 draws. In 1964 the first unofficial international rating list was published by Arpad Elo. The top two players, with a 2690 rating, were Tigran Petrosian and Bobby Fischer.

In 1966 Petrosian played Boris Spassky and succesfully defended his title, to remain world champion. Petrosian had won 4 games, drew 17, and lost 3. He received $2,000 for his efforts. Petrosian won the Moscow championship for the third time in 1968 with 6 wins and 9 draws. In 1968 Petrosian recieved his Masters degree from Ereven University. His dissertation was entitled, 'Chess Logic.' From 1968 to 1977, Petrosian was the chief editor of the weekly chess and checker magazine, 64. In April 1969 Petrosian met Spassky again for the world championship, but lost the title with 4 wins, 13 draws, and 6 losses. In late 1969 Petrosian again won the USSR chess championship with 6 wins and 16 draws. In 1971 Petrosian defeated Robert Huebner with 1 win and 6 draws in the quarter-finals Candidates match. He then defeated Victor Korchnoi with 1 win and 9 draws in the semi-finals match.

He finally lost to Bobby Fischer in Buenos Aires. He had won 1 game, drawn 3 games, and lost 4 games. When Petrosian lost his match to Fischer, his wife put the blame on his trainer, Alexei Suetin, and slapped him. In 1972 Petrosian tied for first place at the Church's Fried Chicken International Tournament in San Antonio, Texas with Anatoly Karpov and Lajos Portisch. At the 1972 Skopje Olympiad, Petrosian lost his one and only game on time to Robert Huebner. When he was later told that the incident had been shown on TV, he said, "If I had known that, I would definitely smashed the clock." Petrosian tied for first place with Albin Planinc at Amsterdam 1973 and tied for first with Leonid Stein at Las Palmas. In 1974 Petrosian defeated Lajos Portisch, but lost to Victor Korchnoi in the Candidates matches. He took 2nd place at Milan 1974. Petrosian took 2nd at Manila 1975.

Between 1968 and 1975, Petrosian never lost more than a single game in any tournament he played in. At the Biel interzonal in 1976, Petrosian took second, behind Bent Larsen, with 6 wins, 12 draws, and 1 loss. Tigran Petrosian and Vasily Smyslov were the first two Soviets to play in the Lone Pine tournaments. Petrosian won Lone Pine in 1976. In 1977 Petrosian lost to Korchnoi in the quarter-final Candidates match. That match was played behind a bullet-proof screen. In 1979 he took first at Tallinn with 8 wins and 8 draws. He then tied for first place with Huebner and Portisch at the 1979 Rio de Janeiro interzonal. In 1980 Petrosian again lost to Korchnoi in the quarter-final Candidates match. Afterwards, he took first place at Las Palmas 1980.

In ten chess Olympiads, Petrosian won prizes for the highest score six times, scoring 79 wins, 50 draws, and 1 loss. He died from cancer on August 13, 1984 in Moscow. Petrosian played over 2,500 games, winning over 62 percent of the time. His peak Elo rating was 2680. He drew more than half his total games, a higher fraction than any other world champion. Petrosian won 13, drew 45, and lost 11 world championship games.

Petrosian - 9th World Chess Champion Games - YouTube 16,652 views Last updated on Jul 7, 2016 Tigran Petrosian (Armenian: Տիգրան Պետրոսյան; Russian: Тигран Вартанович Петросян Tigran Vartanovich Petrosyan; June 17, 1929 -- August 13, 1984) was a Soviet Armenian Grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his almost impenetrable defensive playing style, which emphasised safety above all else.[1][2] Petrosian was a Candidate for the World Championship on eight occasions (1953, 1956, 1959, 1962, 1971, 1974, 1977 and 1980).

He won the World Championship in 1963 (against Mikhail Botvinnik), successfully defended it in 1966 (against Boris Spassky), and lost it in 1969 (to Spassky). Thus he was the defending World Champion or a World Championship Candidate in ten consecutive three-year cycles. He won the Soviet Championship four times (1959, 1961, 1969, and 1975). less Tigran Petrosian (Armenian: Տիգրան Պետրոսյան; Russian: Тигран Вартанович Петросян Tigran Vartanovich Petrosyan; June 17, 1929 -- August 13, 1984) was a Soviet Armenian Grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed &quot... more Play next Play now Play next Play now Play next Play now The chess games of Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian [ what is this?

] Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was the World Champion from 1963 until 1969. He was born in Tiflis (modern day Tbilisi) in Georgia to Armenian parents, but eventually relocated to Armenia in 1946 before moving to Moscow in 1949. Petrosian was an avid student of Aron Nimzowitsch 's theories. His play was renowned for its virtually impenetrable defence and patient manoeuvring, a technique that earned him the nickname �Iron Tigran�. Despite this, his capacity for dealing with tactical complications when the need arose prompted Boris Spassky to comment that: �It is to Petrosian's advantage that his opponents never know when he is suddenly going to play like Mikhail Tal �, and Robert James Fischer to observe that "He has an incredible tactical view, and a wonderful sense of the danger... No matter how much you think deep... He will 'smell' any kind of danger 20 moves before!" Petrosian�s pioneering use of the positional exchange sacrifice underscored both his positional and tactical grasp of the game.

Moreover, he has two major opening systems named after him: the Petrosian Variation of the King's Indian Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Be2 e5 7.d5) and the Petrosian System in the Queen's Indian Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3). National Championships: Petrosian's first major win was the championship of Georgia in 1945 when he was 16. He won the 5th USSR Junior Championship in 1946 with a score of 14/15, won or came equal first in the championships of Armenia held in 1946, 1948, 1974, 1976 and 1980, won the Moscow championship in 1951; and shared first place with Vladimir Simagin and David Bronstein in the 1956 and 1968 Moscow Championships respectively.

He gained his International Master title in the 1951 Soviet Championships, and went on to win the Soviet championship outright three times in 1959, 1961, and 1975, sharing the title with Lev Polugaevsky in 1969. World championships: Petrosian won his Grandmaster title when he came equal second in the 1952 Interzonal tournament in Stockholm, which also qualified him for the 1953 Candidates tournament in Zurich. An eight time Candidate for the World Championship in 1953, 1956, 1959, 1962, 1971, 1974, 1977 and 1980, he won the Curacao Candidates Tournament of 1962 without losing a single game. The following year, he won the Petrosian - Botvinnik World Championship Match (1963) to become the 9th official World Chess Champion.

He retained his title by winning the Petrosian - Spassky World Championship Match (1966) , the first time since the Alekhine - Bogoljubov World Championship Rematch (1934) that the World Champion had succeeded in winning a title match. This feat was not repeated until Anatoly Karpov �s success at the Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship Match (1978) . He also advanced to the Fischer - Petrosian Candidates Final (1971) semifinals, but lost, thereby losing the opportunity to qualify to the 1972 championship. Team Play: Petrosian played in ten consecutive Soviet Olympiad teams from 1958 to 1978, winning nine team gold medals, one team silver medal, and six individual gold medals. His overall performance in Olympiad play was +78 =50 −1, the only loss being to Robert Huebner . He also played for the Soviet team in every European Team Championship from 1957 to 1983, winning eight team gold medals, and four board gold medals.

Classical Tournaments: Soon after becoming champion, he shared first place with Paul Keres in the first Piatagorsky Cup in Los Angeles in 1963. He won the tournaments at Biel and Lone Pine in 1976, the Keres Memorial in 1979, and took second place in Tilburg in 1981, half a point behind the winner Alexander Beliavsky . He was ranked among the top 20 players in the world until he died in 1984. "Chess is a game by its form, an art by its content and a science by the difficulty of gaining mastery in it. Chess can convey as much happiness as a good book or work of music can.

However, it is necessary to learn to play well and only afterwards will one experience real delight." - Tigran Petrosian References: (1) (Petrosian often required a hearing aid during his tournaments), (2) Wikipedia article: Tigran Petrosian page 1 of 77; games 1-25 of 1,922 Game RcfM : Happy Natal Day to my hero, the 9th World Champion, Tigran Petrosian! Thank you for all the wonderful and instructive games! Jun-17-16 waustad : I've had some fun afternoons going over Petrosian exchange sacs. Maybe it's time to do this again. He's the strongest player I've ever seen play live, albeit in a simul. I've also seen Spassky walk down the hall in a hotel, but that isn't quite the same. Jun-17-16 blunderclap : One of my favourite players. There's so much fun, beauty and delightful inventiveness about his play. He's far more than just a dreary draw-master as he's sometimes made out to be.

He's one of the few that can give me the feeling that they're not just playing a game of chess to win, but can themselves be delighted by the wondrous possibilities that can emerge during a game and will pursue them if at all feasible. Jun-17-16 say it with a smile : The players of the Golden Age of Chess ( Tigran, Tal, Bobby) didn't live long. The former two died at age 55. Bobby also didn't live past 65. Tigran would easily get tired once he was 40 years old. Tal had his own share. And we all know about Bobby's mental illness. Sad indeed. These were all players with unique style of play. All of them exciting in their own way. May all rest in peace. Jun-17-16 Petrosianic : All players slow down somewhat after age 40. Petrosian aged better than Fischer or Spassky, but not as well as Korchnoi or Botvinnik. But he was going pretty strong into his 50's.

Won an Interzonal undefeated at age 50, finished 2nd undefeated at the Tilburg all-GM tournament at 52, so Petrosian aged better than most. Jun-17-16 eternaloptimist : 1 of the most instructive & ingenious chess players of all time was born 87 years ago on this day...the former World Chess Champ Tigran Petrosian! I really enjoy playing over his games! Jun-17-16 Petrosianic : <Howard: I'm afraid that the "not quite true" comment should be directed against Petrosianic, not LT.Surena. That loss to Stein was in 1961, not 1962.> I know that. It was a correct response to the statement: <...he didn't lose a single game in the world championship series of 1963 until his 1st game again [sic] Botvinnik>. ...Not to the statement TheFocus : Happy birthday, Iron Tigran!! I learned so much from his games. Jun-17-16 RookFile : Petrosian aged better than Fischer, but chess had nothing to do with it.

Fischer went crazy, but won everything he played after 1972 - granted that we're not talking about many games. Jul-29-16 CountryGirl : Petrosianic, you're right, Petrosian was an extremely dangerous player in tactical situations, He usually used his tactical ability to avoid the opponent's plans, but when he unleashed it on his own account he almost always won. As with Capablanca and Karpov, he just disliked speculating. Jul-29-16 CountryGirl : Petrosian is rightly lauded as a genius of safety, only losing 8% of his games across a very long career. The only player who lost a (fractionally) lower percentage was.....wait for it.... Kasparov. That single stat helps me believe GK was perhaps the greatest of all time. Sep-24-16 Howard : Which book ? Incidentally, there are two volumes available (though out of print) that have ALL of his known games. parisattack : The Shekhtman set on Petrosian has been reprinted in paperback by the reborn Ishi Press - tho I cannot vouch for quality as I have not seen them.

Sep-24-16 EdZelli : Hard cover Volume 2 of Shekhtman's book was unavailable for years. They were selling for almost $700 a piece at Amazon. Nice to see that it is re-printed. Sep-24-16 parisattack : Indeed, the original HBs were fetching unreal prices. I paid $300 for the set about 10-12 years ago. Sep-25-16 EdZelli : Tigran's match with Boris in 1966 still fascinates me even after 50 years it was played. Tigran's depth of understanding of positional play took Nimzo's ideology to new levels. Game 7 of the match with Tigran playing black pieces is my favorite chess game of all times. GM Keene believes game 12 Petrosian vs Spassky, 1966 is one of the greatest games ever played! Beating Spassky in 1966 first looked far fetched (or a miracle) before the match was played. After all, Boris had demolished Tal, Geller and Keres earlier.

But looking at individual games of the match one can truly understand Boris' and Gary's comments years later that Tigran's tactical and positional play was phenomenal. Sep-25-16 ewan14 : I do not think he demolished Keres Nov-25-16 Ron : Well, I learned something new. This is from the Wikipedia article on the chess publication 64: < In 1968 it was revamped as a weekly magazine by Alexander Roshal and World Champion Tigran Petrosian. Vasily Smyslov was an assistant editor.

Petrosian was editor until 1977 when he was fired after his loss to Viktor Korchnoi in a quarter-final Candidates match.> Jump to page # Biography Biography Tigran Petrosian Vartanovich (June 17, 1929 Tbilisi - 13 August 1984, Moscow) Tigran Petrosian (Armenian Տիգրան Վարդանի Պետրոսյան, June 17, 1929, Tbilisi – August 13, 1984, Moscow), the Soviet chess player, the 9th World Chess Champion from 1963 through 1969, international chess master (1952), honoured master of sports of the USSR (1960), the four-time champion of the USSR (1959, 1961, 1969, 1975), the three-time champion of Moscow.

Doctor of Philosophy, chess theorist and journalist, editor of the Chess Moscow monthly magazine (1963-1966), founder and chief editor of the “64” monthly magazine (1968-1977), the nine-time winner of the World Chess Olympics as a member of Team USSR. Nicknamed Iron Tigran for his unsurpassed skills in defense. Tbilisi, WWII. Yerevan, 1945. Petorsian (sitting, 2nd from the right) among the participants of the Armenian Chess Championship. G. Fridstein is sitting at the table in the centre. Within one year, in 1952, Petrosian became the International Chess Master, the Grand Master of the USSR, and the International Grand Master! The Candidates Tournament in Zurich in 1953. Left to right: Tigran Petrosian, Alexander Kotov, Paul Keres, Yuri Averbakh, and Efim Geller. Zurich 1953. Petrosian (3rd from the left) among the soviet participants of the Candidates Tournament.

The USSR Championship in Tbilisi in 1959 brought Tigran Petrosian the first of his four gold medals in the USSR Championships! Lev Polugaevsky, Boris Spassky, Semen Furman, and David Bronstein are next to him wearing the legendary Svan hats. The early 1960s. Tigran Petrosian with the outstanding chess coach Isaac Boleslavsky, who had been assisting him during three World Championship matches (1963, 1966 and 1969). Interzonal tournament in Stockholm in 1962. Tigran Petrosian with Bobby Fischer and Efim Geller. Victory at the Candidates Tournament in Curaçao in 1962 allowed Petrosian to challenge the reigning champion. He won his mini-match against Fischer with a score of 2.5 to 1.5. Moscow, 1963. The World Championship Match against Mikhail Botvinnik was a serious test for the young contender. Moscow, 1963. Tigran Petrosian as the 9th World Chess Champion! Yerevan, 1963.

The unforgettable welcome for the new King of Chess in Yerevan. Moscow, 1963. The joint analysis session with Salo Flohr at the Central Chess Club. Moscow, mid-1960s. The champion playing at the Central Chess School. Alexander Kotov, Yakov Rokhlin and Mikhail Tal are sitting. The profundity of Petrosian’s style stems from his clarity of thought and unique understanding of every nuance of the game. Petrosian meets his opponent at the World Championship match at the Central Chess School. Such familiar profiles! The first match against Boris Spassky (Moscow, 1966) when Petrosian was able to defend his title. Moscow, the late 1960s. Petrosian is at the peak of his career with Yakov Neishtadt and Mikhail Tal. With his friend who later became a formidable opponent, Victor Korchnoy. Petrosian had been leading the Spartak team for many years. A game with Mikhail Botvinnik. Moscow, 1969.

FIDE President Max Euwe opens the second match for the World Champion title against Boris Spassky, after which Petrosian was to become the ex-champion. Yes, it is true, I like defending more than attacking, but who says defense is less dangerous and risky than offence? (Petrosian). Belgrade, 1970. There had been a long chess era between the 5th (Euwe) and the 9th (Petrosian) World Champion - the era of Botvinnik! “Match of the century” in Belgrade, 1970. Before the start of the first game with Bobby Fischer. “Match of the century” in Belgrade. Unlike Curaçao, here Petrosian lost the mini-match with a score of 1 to 3. Buenos-Aires, 1971. The final Candidates Match with Fischer ended with a crushing defeat for the Iron Tigran, the worst in his entire career (2.5 to 6.5)… Victor Korchnoy and Yuri Averbakh at Petrosian’s country house during the preparation for the match with Fischer.

A happy duo: Tigran Petrosian and his wife Rona. With his furry pet. He had never become the World Champion in table tennis, but according to his colleagues, he played this game on a master’s level too. Photography was another hobby of Petrosian. Shooting a movie. The two Kings: Tigran Petrosian and Boris Spassky. Petrosian has Casablanca’s technique and Schlechter’s intuition (Tal). Moscow, 1979. Tigran Petrosian is 50! The 9th World Champion was also a great commentator and journalist, who authored a lot of very interesting articles on chess problems. Petrosian is a nine-time Olympic Champion, who has played the first board four times! Looking for a perfect shot. Young Garry Kasparov at the board. Chess Super Tournament in Bugojno, 1982. Games against Kasparov were always exciting. One of the last photographs of Tigran Petrosian. Mikhail Tal is on the right.

The friends and the fans of Tigran Petrosian at his grave at the Armenian cemetery… Biography The 9th World Chess Champion Tigran Petrosian was nicknamed “the Iron Tigran” and “the Chess Lefty”. He got the first nickname for his unsurpassed skills in defense, while he was called “Lefty” for his unusual way of playing, which had been taking aback his most sophisticated opponents for decades. He was hardly the darling of fortune: his mother died when he was a child, and his father, who worked as a cleaner at the officers’ community centre in Tbilisi, died soon as well. In the 1940s, Tigran took up chess, learning how to play the game from his mentor Archil Ebralidze at the community centre of the pioneer organisation in Tbilisi. Ebralidze was a big fan of Jose Capablanca, and Petrosian also became a life-long admirer of the great Cuban master, whom Tigran always sought to emulate.

When World War II ended in 1945, the 16-year old Petrosian put his name on the map by winning the junior chess championship of the USSR (and repeating his success for a second time the following year). 5 years later, Tigran Petrosian, who had by then moved to Moscow, split the second and the third prize with Efim Geller in the male Chess Championship of the USSR. In 1953, he took part in the Candidates Tournament in Zurich where he finished 5th. A few more years went by, and Petrosian went for the World Chess Champion title in earnest. Twice (in 1959 and 1961) he won the USSR Chess Championship, demonstrating deep knowledge of setup, excelling at end-game, and putting up a skillful defense (every time he lost it was treated as a sensation). Eventually, his hour struck in 1962 at the Candidates Tournament on the island of Curaçao. Petrosian finished first without losing a single game out of 27(!), and earned the right to challenge the reigning champion Mikhail Botvinnik.

Mikhail Botvinnik was the patriarch of the Soviet chess school at the time, yet the 33-year old Tigran Petrosian won the match in 1963 with a score of 12.5 to 9.5, which made him the new World Chess champion. Moreover, for the next six years, just like his favorite master Casablanca, Petrosian had been remaining the reigning champion. In 1966, he defended the title against Boris Spassky with a score of 12.5 to 11.5. Three years later, he got dethroned by the same Spasskywith a score of 10.5 to 12.5. For many years to come, however, Tigran Petrosian was regarded as one of the most formidable chess players on the planet: he won the USSR Champion title twice in 1969 and 1975, won the major international tournaments and the candidate matches. In 1979, at the age of 50(!), he won the Interzonal tournament (together with Portisch and Huebner).

Petrosian holds a multitude of impressive records. He completed six USSR Championships without a single loss. As a member of Team USSR at the 10 World Chess Olympics (between 1958 and 1978), he achieved an unprecedented result of 79 victories, 50 draws and just one loss. At his peak Tigran Petrosian was truly unbeatable. What he valued the most in chess was logic. “I’m convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that there are no accidents in chess, and this is the principle I live by. I really like only those games where I followed the logic of the setup... I believe only in the logical, straightforward chess game,” the 9th World Chess Champion wrote. He wrote a lot of articles, was chief editor of the “64” Magazine, started his own chess school and proved to be a gifted teacher. Tigran Petrosian died in Moscow in August 1984 at the age of just 55. World Champions about Tigran Petrosian Anatoly Karpov "Petrosian was just as good at combinations as Tal, but he often preferred to keep his talent in check and concentrate on building a strong position.

" Bobby Fischer "Petrosian is great at seeing and tackling a threat 20 moves before it materializes! I was stunned by his uncanny ability to keep improving a position that was already very strong. He is definitely a very subtle player. " Boris Spassky "Petrosian was a chess player with a very fine-tuned intuition. In fact, good intuition is possibly the most important skill for a professional." Mikhail Tal "Petrosian is without doubt a phenomenal chess player. He played in such an interesting and profound manner, that sometimes what he anticipated as his opponents’ next moves in fact never even crossed their minds. He could smell danger a mile away." Mikhail Botvinnik "Petorsian has an uncanny talent to arrange his pieces on the board so deliberately that any attempt to attack them becomes a huge challenge. It is a very nuanced and rare style that is extremely hard to adjust to.

I personally failed to do so and lost the World Championship match to him in 1963." Max Euwe "Petrosian is not a tiger that rushes and overwhelms his prey; he is more like a python that slowly chokes his prey, or like a crocodile that can wait for hours for the right moment to deliver a crushing blow." Kasparov "Petrosian was brilliant at creating positions full of harmony and life, with a colossal potential behind a bland façade and seeming lack of dynamism, where even the smallest changes were immediately noticed and dealt with, often in a series of strategic moves that left the opponent completely at a loss. The profundity of Petrosian’s style stems from his clarity of thought and his rare gift for understanding not just the overall situation on the board, but also of every nuance of tactics and strategy of the game." Vladimir Kramnik "Petrosian was the Defender in chess. He was the first grand master to demonstrate that almost any position could be defended. He showed that chess is a game with lots and lots of resources. Petrosian’s style was very sophisticated and hard to understand.

There was something very mysterious about him…" Petrosian, Tigran Vartanovich - Chess.com Chess.com 690 Reads 11 Comments Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian (1929-1984) was a Soviet Grandmaster (1952) and 9th world chess champion (1963-1969). Between 1968 and 1975 he never lost more than a single game in any tournament. He drew more than half his total games of chess, a higher fraction than any other World Champion. He received less than $2,000 for winning the world chess championship in 1966 against Spassky. When Petrosian defeated Spassky in 1966, it was the first time a World Champion defeated his challenger in 32 years (Alekhine defeated Bogoljubov in 1934). In 1972 at the Skopje Olympiad he lost a game on time to Hubner, his first loss on time in his whole career.

When he was later told that the incident had been shown on TV, he said, "If I had known that, I would definitely have smashed the clock." His first official match that he played was for the World Championship, which he won when he defeated Botvinnik in 1963. When he lost his match with Fischer in 1971, Petrosian's wife, Rona, put the blame on his trainer, Alexey Suetin, and slapped him. Petrosian was unbeaten in 6 USSR championships. He only lost one game out of 129 in chess Olympiad play. Before Rona married Petrosian, she was flirting and dating both Efim Geller and Tigran Petrosian. In 1952, when both players went to Sweden for the Interzonal, she said she would marry whoever performed better in the Interzonal. Petrosian finished ½ point better than Geller, and Petrosian and Rona Avinezer were later married. In 1964, he won the championship of the Trade Unions in Moscow.

Question: (Tigran) Petrosian was world champion at what from 1963 to 1969?
Answer: CHESS